Parliament votes for one-year extension of the EU DCC

28 June 2022: The European Parliament has adopted a one-year extension – until 30 June 2023 – of the regulation establishing the EU Digital COVID Certificate with 453 votes in favour, 119 against, and 19 abstaining (union citizens), and 454 in favour, 112 against, and 20 abstentions (third-country nationals).

This vote comes after a provisional political agreement reached by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union on 13 June 2022. The next step is formal approval by the Council of the European Union. Then, the extension will then enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

The co-legislators agreed that the European Commission should present a detailed report by 31 December 2022 to assess the need to repeal or maintain the certificate with respect to free movement principles and fundamental rights. This means that if the epidemiological situation allows, the regulation could be repealed earlier. 

On issues related to the lack of harmonisation between Member States, both institutions agreed that vaccination certificates should reflect all doses administered, regardless of the Member State where the vaccines were received.